[Manama] Israeli business leaders and officials are hoping that the Israel-Bahrain innovation conference currently underway in the capital of the Gulf state will help catalyze collaborations and drive forward ties between the two countries.
According to Israel’s ambassador to Bahrain Eitan Na’eh, Israeli tour operators are also currently visiting the kingdom in the hopes of launching businesses here.
Trade between Israel and Bahrain is still relatively low. It only reaches tens of millions of dollars annually, but those present at the Connect2Innovate gathering have grander aspirations.
Israel and Bahrain normalized ties two and a half years ago, with the signing of the Abraham Accords. Since then, the two countries have moved to cooperate in high-tech and innovation fields.
Attendees converse at the Connect2Innovate conference in Bahrain, March 14, 2023. (Dario Sanchez)
More than 300 Bahraini and Israeli business leaders attended the opening ceremony of the conference, which brought together officials and innovators from both countries. The event was jointly organized by Israel’s Start-Up Nation Central – a nonprofit that connects governments, corporations and investors to the Israeli tech ecosystem – the government of Bahrain and the Embassy of Bahrain in Israel.
During the opening ceremony, a memorandum of understanding was signed to promote human capital development between the two countries. Start-Up Nation Central also signed an agreement with Tamkeen, which plays a crucial role in Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 to support the private sector.
The second and third days of the conference included professional workshops, lectures, and panel discussions on the future of banking and financial technology, water security and smart energy, startup ecosystem development, and the establishment of a sustainable sea-air corridor.